Pep Talk
All You Need to Know About Pepela

Quietly, ever so subtly, Pepela, a massive bi-level palace of Georgian (as in former Soviet Union) opulence has taken root in Murray Hill. It’s a members-only club opening in January. Got that classic garish pre-Soviet Russianness of a shady steel tycoon’s Crimean summer manse. And here’s the early intelligence...

They’re looking for a certain type of person: Models, primarily. They’re in great supply around here. Also: artists, producers, musicians and Brooklyn Nets owners. As for you: you’ll apply, endure a rigorous interviewing process and start penciling in lunches with Miranda and Gisele.

Georgia makes a hilarious claim to being the inventors of pizza: And said pizza is on the menu. It’s called khachapuri, and the cheese is inside the dough, for a crustier exterior. It’s prepared by a chef who is “huge in Moscow.”

They’ve got vino from the heart of Georgian wine country: It’s made from grapes that are essentially extinct. The less you dig into what that probably means, the better.

Like their Russian brethren, they know their way around a martini: There’s a whole menu of them at the upstairs bar, along with some painstakingly fruit-infused vodkas.

The restaurant is a club, if you like: The downstairs space is at your whim. You’re a member. Clear out the tables. Stack tables one on top of the other.

Whatever Miranda’s into.